It's the trials and tribulations that really test a person, and coming through those difficulties is what shapes a person's character.
If you are able to enjoy what you do and doing it the best that you can, then you're on the right track.
I have always and will continue to put myself in the mix at the end of every tournament. That's what I play for.
I work differently. I enjoy creating a space around me and not getting too high or too low. But I am continuously looking to get better - not just as a tennis player but also as a person dealing with new experiences.
I take a lot of enjoyment out of imagining myself as... I dunno... a wall. I keep adding bricks to my wall or little house.
I was 14 in Barcelona, and when I initially went there, I didn't see my mum for six months and my dad for four months. Australia is far from Spain, but I don't remember how long or how short the days felt. I think what was most difficult for my parents was that if anything went wrong, they couldn't say, 'OK, we'll be there in a couple of hours.'
I have grown a lot in this area, but I used to be quite rigid and found it difficult to accept change.
When I was five, I wanted to be a cleaning lady; when I was nine, I wanted to be the world's number one tennis player.
I feel confident that no player can step on court against me and feel confident that they will come out the winner. Every match I take part in, I have an equal shot of coming through as the winner.
What is best to hope for and what everyone is working towards is to elevate the quality of women's sport and to bring it to a level where it is seen as something that is very entertaining, something to be admired, to be looked up to, to put it in that level playing field as a product to be sold equal to the men.
When I was young, I associated playing tennis with being part of historic moments, being part of these epic battles and coming out victorious, having those trophy moments. That, for me, is what I saw and aspired to.
I think every single girl you face is good at handling pressure. That's part of why they're successful on a regular basis from season to season and over a lot of years.
If you look at the likes of Agnieszka Radwanska and Svetlana Kuznetsova, they've been around a long time and been successful for a long time. That speaks volumes for them.
I'm constantly trying to be strong, to be calm when things get tough. The biggest part of that is keeping things in perspective, not being afraid of playing long matches, not putting too much pressure on yourself. It can't be all or nothing, right here, right now.
If I'm ever in a position where I'm serving to win a grand slam, I'm sure that I will be feeling giddy inside. I will have sweaty palms.
No matter how much you train, you can't replicate the stresses that the body takes when it's in a competitive environment.
It's really easy to catastrophise everything. I'd like to think as I've gotten older, I do a bit better with that.
When I was a little girl, I dreamt of winning grand slams and being No. 1 in the world. That dream stays the same as long as you're doing the career that you're on. I think it would be silly for that to change.
I was a decent 800 m. runner, not 400 - and I'm actually really proud of this: I beat the girls and the boys to win my school 800, so it was a big deal at the time; I was about 11. Then I won the district and made it to state, but I just never went, because I was training, and tennis was a big part of my life at that point.
I really enjoy representing my country and think the principles of what Fed Cup is about and the team environment is a great thing to be a part of.
One thing that is 100% certain is that emotions are always incredibly high in a match and, I would imagine, definitely more so in a grand slam final.
Before I started playing more on the WTA tour, I actually won most of my Challengers on the clay, especially at the very beginning.
In my experience, most players act the way they do in their own self-interest, in getting their emotions out and basically working with their own demons on court.
Not everybody gets a home slam; not everybody gets home events. I am part of a very select few who get that opportunity, so I can only really be grateful for that.
I look to constantly be a better version of myself every time I step out on court. That has come out with some good wins and good things on paper, but if my ranking were to drop or to rise, it wouldn't affect my goals or how I want to keep improving.
There are always going to be distractions, push and shove between players. It's about rolling with the punches and enjoying every situation, good or bad.
It's a safe bet most players would get nervous before a match. I do, too, but it's more excitement and more just wanting to get going, and I feel the same.
I don't know what it is to feel very British, but I feel that it's home, so I'm very happy to represent Great Britain.